Sound The Midnight Cry

“It’s The Big One…I’m Coming!”

I’ve always been amazed at the popularity of old TV shows. Many of them never had a following until they went off the air into syndication. Sometimes the content might have been ahead of its time…other times; it just finds a new audience.

Most people when you ask them about a favorite old show, they will tell you a classic line phrase from their favorite character: “Up Your Nose With a Rubber Hose!” “DYN-O-MITE!” “Sit On It, Potsie!” “What you talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” For me, the one that I catch myself saying once in awhile was made famous by the character Fred Sanford- “It’s the Big One, Elizabeth…I’m coming!” Fred was constantly feigning his ultimate heart attack whenever a situation resulted in news that was too unbelievable to comprehend.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of that phrase as each day new reports come out of China with regards to the devastating damage done by the 7.9 earthquake. The number of people killed has already risen to over 51,000 with experts predicting the number to go as high as 80,000 people or more.

Geologists the world over scrambling to predict the next "Big One" to shake the planet will occur. Many of them are saying that the Sichuan quake may be just one in a swarm of major global earthquakes they say are long overdue.

In California, a team of about 300 scientists, governments, first responders and industries worked for more than a year to create a realistic crisis scenario that can be used for earthquake preparedness drills. This is the scenario they envisioned, as published by the USGS. The 7.8 earthquake rips along the San Andreas Fault line shaking the Los Angles basin like a bowl of jelly. Southern California would be left reeling from a blow on par with the Sept. 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. However, the focus of this task force in preparing for the "Big One" involved consideration that the section of the San Andreas Fault is loaded with the most stored energy and is the most primed to break.

While America's attention is focused on the San Andreas Fault, globally, geologists are much more concerned about the Carmel Fault line. The Carmel Fault line intersects with another major fault line—the Dead Sea Fault. And located directly above where these two fault lines intersect is the northern Israeli city of Megiddo. It runs north to south, the length of Israel. Dr. Amos Salomon of the Israeli Geological Survey, Megiddo [Armageddon in the Bible] is the most likely epicenter for the Next Big One to strike Israel.

Both Turkey and Greece have experienced major quakes in recent times. In fact, geologists have noted recently that the floor of the Mediterranean Sea is fracturing like a sheet of glass. This means that the focal point of tectonic forces is shifting in the region, and an increase in activity is approaching.

The Prophet Zechariah says that when the Lord returns at the conclusion of the battle of Armageddon, He will 'touch down' atop the Mount of Olives. When His feet touch down on the Mount of Olives, an earthquake will open a valley from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. [Zechariah 14:4]

There hasn't been a major shift in the tectonic plates of that region in a thousand years. According to the Israeli Geological Survey, the next one is overdue. And according to the Bible, when it comes, so will Jesus!

“Nature’s Speaks But No One Listens”

“The sky is falling”—famous words from the story of Chicken Little. The story is about a chicken that has an acorn fall on its head while eating lunch. The chicken then proceeds to tell everyone that it comes in contact with that “the sky is falling.” The phrase has passed into the English language as a common idiom indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.

It now seems that chat rooms and blogs in China are are buzzing with a question: Why didn't these natural signs alert the government that a disaster was imminent? Even the mainstream media has chimed in, with an article this week in Tuesday’s China Daily newspaper questioning why the government did not predict the earthquake. So what is it that the government should have noticed to warn them of the impending tragedy?

Online commentators say the first sign came about three weeks ago, when large amounts of water suddenly disappeared from a pond in Enshi city in Hubei province, around 350 miles east of the epicenter, according to media reports. A Wall Street Journal video reported three days before the earthquake, thousands of toads roamed the streets of Mianzhu, a hard-hit city where at least 2,000 people have been reported killed. Then on Monday, the day of the earthquake, zebras were banging their heads against a door at the zoo in Wuhan, more than 600 miles east of the epicenter, according to the Wuhan Evening Paper. Elephants swung their trunks wildly, almost hitting a staff member. The 20 lions and tigers, normally asleep at midday, were walking around. Five minutes before the quake, dozens of peacocks started screeching.

Roger Musson, a seismologist with the British Geological Survey said, “…no reliable way has been found to use animals to predict earthquakes” referring to efforts by several countries to try and recognize changes in nature as a sign of imminent danger.

The problem of trying to identify these natural signs as landmarks to predict coming changes is that one has to be looking for the omen. Without knowing what the signal might be, it is too simple to overlook the obvious.

Jesus knew this and spelled out to his followers when asked by them what would be the sign of the end days. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t sidestep the question but answered with very specific events.

Each week I attempt to spotlight current events that are pointing to the prophecies of Scripture and how those events are simply a billboard pointing to a not-so-distant happening that will be life changing.

Looking back and seeing the signs pointing to the devastating earthquake in China, people are upset that those that should have noticed didn’t and ultimately failed to warn them. Their anger is somewhat justified in that the job of a “watchman” is to watch and to forewarn.

Like Chicken Little, those that “warn” about the return of Christ are considered hysterical or mistaken in their belief. Those same people that ridicule those that tell of Christ’s coming will be the same ones later asking “Why didn’t anyone tell us?”

So let it be known that the prophecies of old are being fulfilled with every passing day. They point a world conflict on the horizon—the conflict of the ages between good and evil. That conflict will be culminated with the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth.

Second Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar…” The sky isn’t falling…yet! As for this watchman…consider yourself told.

“History and Prophecy Fulfilled”

This past week the world witnessed [much to the chagrin of most of the Islamic world] the 60th birthday of the nation of Israel. The declaration on May 14th, 1948 by David Ben Gurion, was not only a declaration for the Jews of the world, but to the world itself.

The establishment of the Israeli state not only ended the scattering of a whole race of people, it gave them a place to call “home”. They now had a place to gather in unity against the voices of those that would call for their elimination.

It became a symbol to the past failures of Hitler and other tyrants that tried to destroy the Jew. It should be a notice to any future maniacal madmen such as Iran’s President Ahmadinejad of the futility and consequence to those that would try to destroy them.

It became a clarion call to the world of the faithfulness of God. Every bible-believing Christian should take note that when God makes a covenant, He keeps His word. It adds tremendous authority to the promises made throughout the Bible to all those that would believe. Israel stands as proof that Numbers 23:19 is true: “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

The declaration of the re-establishment of Israel gives incredible security to that nation knowing that God in heaven has decreed its right to exist. It also gives security to the Christian who declares their salvation through Jesus Christ, for His edicts are given and carried out and no power can overturn it.

The ancient prophecies that seemed unlikely to happen, have know come to fruition. What seemed as improbable is now a reality. And for the last 60 years, the Jews have continued to come back to their land from literally the four corners of the earth. Meanwhile, for 60 years, the forces of hell have been working to reverse and so stop this process of restoration.

Despite the incessant battle for survival and the overwhelming international prejudice against the Jewish state, in May 10, 2008 [date adjusted to the Gregorian calendar] the Jews of Israel will be able to proclaim as they sing and dance once more on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv: “Am Yisrael chai.” [“The nation of Israel lives.”]

Apart from the coming of Jesus, Israel’s rebirth – an event without precedent in the history of nations – is the most dramatic fulfillment of prophecy ever to have taken place…history and prophecy are fulfilled.

With that in mind, can there be any doubt that the promise in Acts1:11 that says, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” is on the threshold? Not for me there isn’t. Happy Birthday, Israel!

“Blood Moon II”

Last September, I wrote an article about the unique appearing of a “blood moon” appearing in Jerusalem. It was noted that it was the second one in seven years and had a direct connection to events dealing with the Temple Mount.

Two weeks ago, a minister that promotes the Old Testament roots of Christianity, suggests a rare string of lunar and solar eclipses said to fall on God's annual holy days seven years from now could herald what's come to be known as the "Second Coming" of Jesus—and he uses NASA's website to provide evidence for such a scenario? Mark Blitz says that "God wants us to look at the biblical calendar…The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays."

Biltz said he's been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights in the sky would be "be for signs, and for seasons…The Hebrew word implies ... not only is it a signal, but it's a signal for coming or His appearing." Biltz adds the word "seasons" implies appointed times for God's feasts and festivals. “When we hear the word feast, we think food. But the Hebrew word has nothing to do with food…but rather a divine appointment.”

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." (Joel 2:31)

Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and lunar eclipses, sometimes called "blood moons" since the moon often takes on a bloody color. He logged onto NASA's eclipse website which provides precision tracking of the celestial events. He noted a rare phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad.

He discovered that during this century, tetrads occur at least six times. However, only one string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God's holy days of Passover. It occurs in the spring and the autumn's Feast of Tabernacles (also called Succoth) between 2014 and 2015 on today's Gregorian calendar. The last time that four blood red moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem recaptured by Israel.

He then started to notice a pattern of the tetrads. "What's significant to me is that even before 1967; the next time that you had four blood red moons again was right after Israel became a nation in '48, it happened again in 1949 and 1950...on Passover and Succoth."

When checking the schedule for solar eclipses, Biltz found two – one on the first day of the Hebrew year and the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year.

The prospect of eclipses pinpointing the time of Jesus' return is getting mixed reaction in Christian circles. We know what Jesus told us about assigning dates for His return. However, He did tell us that there would be “signs” and this could be just one more of the many that are taking place every week.

No one knows what this ‘blood moon watch’ may bring, but it does clarify the admonition to “watch and pray.” Whether or not 2015 could be a pivotal time is not a foregone conclusion…but it is interesting to say the least.